Honey and Ale Pulled Chicken Sliders

June 2027. Hannah was visibly pregnant now—well into the second trimester, moving through the house with the particular deliberateness of late pregnancy, making adjustments. Thomas had been good through all of it in the specific way of a man who shows up rather than performing showing up. He cooked dinner half the nights. He drove her to appointments without being asked. He called me once just to say he wasn't sure he was ready and I said that was normal and that being not-sure-but-showing-up was exactly the right condition to be in.

The summer garden was at its peak. The Cherokee Purple tomatoes were coming in and I was processing them daily—fresh, roasted, preserved. The beans were weeks from harvest. The summer squash had done what summer squash does. The pawpaw trees had set fruit again, the third year—more fruits this time, fifteen or twenty, which meant by August we'd have enough to share in real quantities.

Made a big dinner at the land in June: the first Cherokee Purples of the season, sliced and salted and left to sit; fresh corn on the fire; a whole spatchcocked chicken I'd been marinating since morning; the first of the summer squash grilled with the sumac compound butter. Lily and Ben drove up for it. We ate outside in the long summer evening and talked about the baby and about Lily's book and about River's increasing opinions about everything. River declared the tomatoes too wet. He was technically right about this. I gave him extra corn.

That June dinner at the land — the Cherokee Purples salted and weeping on the board, the corn charring over the fire, River issuing verdicts on everything — it was the kind of meal that doesn’t need to be complicated to feel like it matters. When I make these Honey and Ale Pulled Chicken Sliders now, I’m chasing something close to that: chicken given time and a marinade with some sweetness and some bite, pulled apart and piled onto something small enough to eat standing up in a yard. It’s built for exactly the kind of long evening where no one is in a hurry to go home.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup amber or brown ale
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 slider buns or small dinner rolls
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (for slaw)
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Make the braising liquid. In a bowl, whisk together the ale, honey, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper until the honey is fully incorporated.
Sear the chicken. Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken thighs lightly with salt and pepper. Sear for 3—4 minutes per side until golden. Do not crowd the pan; work in batches if needed.
Braise. Pour the honey-ale mixture over the seared chicken. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45—55 minutes, turning the chicken once halfway through, until very tender and pulling apart easily.
Reduce the sauce. Remove chicken and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer the braising liquid uncovered for 8—10 minutes until reduced by about half and slightly syrupy. Taste and adjust salt.
Pull the chicken. Using two forks, pull the chicken thighs into coarse shreds. Return pulled chicken to the reduced sauce and stir to coat thoroughly. Keep warm over low heat.
Make the quick slaw. Toss coleslaw mix with mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Let sit 5 minutes.
Toast the buns. Lightly toast slider buns cut-side down in a dry skillet or under the broiler until just golden.
Assemble and serve. Pile pulled chicken onto toasted bun bottoms. Top with a small amount of slaw, a few slices of red onion, and parsley if using. Add bun tops and serve immediately alongside extra sauce for dipping.

Nutrition (per serving)

Honey and Ale Pulled Chicken Sliders — The Kind of Dinner That Makes a Long Summer Evening Feel Like Enough